Possibly no DVDs or used games in Xbox 720 specs

The rumors of the next Xbox console continue to come thick and fast recently, even though Microsoft continue to say nothing will be released in the near future. Only this morning Alan Ng told you about the rumored chipset that could be coming in the next model. Now we have reports that the Xbox 720 specs may include a Blu-ray player just like the PlayStation 3.

Microsoft are rumored to be thinking of the upgrade from DVDs as Blu-rays can store either 25GB or 50GB of data, which compares to only 9GB on a DVD. But that is not all as a report on Kotaku is claiming that sources are saying that the next model will have some sort of system that will prevent owners playing used games.

It is not known how this system would work if true, but could somehow link a copy of a game to users Xbox Live account. This would only be avoided if the user kept their console offline all the time. Any such move would please the game publishers who often moan that used games are cutting revenues. This has led to some using the online pass system that makes parts of the game useless without it, but some retailers say this hasn’t affected sales of used games.

There are also claims that the new console will come with an all new version of the Kinect motion controller. It would have the built in processor and would allow it to detect player’s motions better. Microsoft is also thought to be working on a smaller controller for the console.

In a way even though Blu-ray was pioneered by rival Sony it does make sense for Microsoft to include it into the next Xbox. Games are getting bigger in size and it will cut down on the amount of discs needed in the future.

There has been a lot of talk that the next gen of consoles would rely on cloud and digital gaming more, but the trouble is not everyone has a fast enough broadband connection to cope with the demand this will bring. This is also not the first time that Blu-ray has been mentioned for any new Xbox.